Fronted by Lenny Zenith, Tenterhooks is one of a few transgender-led bands. Lenny and Tenterhooks’ bassist James Pertusi were formerly in noise pop band Jenifer Convertible.

Like many NYC bands, Tenterhooks began life amid the stale cigarette and beer smells of Bushwick’s Sweatshop rehearsal studios before relocating to Manhattan’s infamous Music Building. Together with powerhouse drummer Scott Campbell, Zenith and Pertusi crafted their songs into a powerful, cohesive set, with the aim of releasing an EP to secure more shows and highlight their bracing brand of indie-power-pop. Guitarist, Hiro Suzuki, joined them for the studio recording and several gigs.

Produced and engineered by Pertusi, Tenterhooks recorded their debut EP (Meanwhile, in another part of town) at [the end] studios in Brooklyn (Kaiser Chiefs, Dirty Projectors) for a March 24, 2015, release on The Sugarblast Music Company label.

Lenny Zenith started playing in New Orleans in his 20s, opening for international touring acts (U2 & Iggy Pop, among others) and fronting several bands before moving to NYC.